Page 10 - 18 Day China Sample

Visit the Great Mosque, one of the oldest, largest and best-preserved Islamic mosques in China. According to historical records engraved on a stone tablet inside, this mosque was built in 742 during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). This was a result of Islam being introduced into Northwest China by Arab merchants and travelers from Persia and Afghanistan during the mid-7th century when some of them settled down in China and married women of Han Nationality. Their descendants became Muslim of today. The Muslim played an important role in the unifications of China during the Yuan and Ming Dynasties. Hence, other mosques were also built to honor them. Complete your day with a visit to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, a holy Buddhist monument first built in 649AD during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, then standing 177 feet, however, this construction of rammed earth with a stone exterior façade eventually collapsed five decades later. The ruling Empress Wu Zetian had the pagoda rebuilt and added five new stories by the year 704 AD however, a massive earthquake in 1556 heavily damaged the pagoda and reduced it by three stories to its current height of seven stories Overnight: Shangri-La Hotel – Horizon Club Room